WHAT EVEN IS THIS? wordswordswords

Creative Destruction: A PTA Campaign

+ An Introduction
Welcome to Aniseed, the city of broken dreams. You've called this shattered cradle of humanity home for at least the past twenty years, if you've even lived that long. Many of you have, and some for much, much longer. And of those, most are unfortunate (or fortunate) enough not to even know.

It was just as the futurists predicted - following Moore's Law to the letter, computational advances allowed humanity's technological prowess to grow at an exponential rate, dragging along a society quite unprepared for the consequences of progress. It began slowly. The first mass-produced artificial intelligences, the Porygon, were clever pokemon, capable of a few neat tricks but a clear mark below human intelligence. Slowly, the developments advanced. Newer Porygon models outthought humans by increasingly wider margins, and eventually the human scientists simply gave up and left them to run their research projects. New biological life was also invented, and the first successfully manufactured Reuniclus was met with celebrations around the world.

Concurrent with these developments, humans advanced themselves, augmenting themselves with wetware and uploading their minds to computers - blurring the lines between human and machine. But then something went terribly wrong. No one can quite tell you what it is, and you can't exactly go outside to check things out, not curled up like you are in this battered subterranean metropolis. It's been years since anyone you know has even seen the outside world, and the dead pixels and broken displays of the artificial sky above you are a constant reminder of this fact. Those around you all call it the Sundering, for the way it utterly broke humanity and left the citizens of Aniseed isolated as they are today.

What the records tell you is that Aniseed once was a sanctuary for those who found themselves unable or unwilling to cope with with the fast-paced, rapidly evolving lifestyles of transhuman society. To the uninformed, it's funny, because for all the technophobia you find scrawled in the archives of the city, from extremist neo-luddite rhetoric to simple lamentations on the loss of pastoral society, Aniseed's citizens live relatively pampered lives. Cornucopia machines transform simple input matter into nutritious, if somewhat bland, food, and the more rare complex models even seem capable of replicating pokeballs given the right materials.

But you know better - for the first citizens of Aniseed, modern society meant much more than simply a steady march toward a better future for all - for them, it was a civilization that had descended into debauchery. Free from material need, humans began living increasingly bizarre lives to combat the sense of ennui that pervaded such pampered lives. Mind upload technology allowed many unconventional lifestyles - humans living in pokemon bodies, children raised as multiple "forks" given different childhoods that the parents then selected from for their perfect kid, collective minds unified as one and guided by Alakazams or other intelligent pokemon. All of this became too much, too confusing for some, and they retreated to Aniseed to live simpler lives, where their needs were met but they could live free from humanity's acceleration towards the weird and ludicrous.

You may or may not share their views, but either way you live in the shell of their city today, or at least part of it. Whether or not you were a citizen of Aniseed or an outsider who broke in desperate for shelter, it was the first refuge you found after the disaster 20 years ago. Perhaps it is the only refuge left for humanity, but you can't know for sure. Aniseed had purposefully cut itself off from the outside world, remaining disconnected so its citizens could live their lives at the pace they chose, and now the roaming wild pokemon at its edges prevent all but the strongest - or stupidest - from wandering far outside its borders. Even worse, a shocking majority of the city itself has been lost due to wild pokemon and strange phenomena, leaving all humans to live in the very center of the city, with most of the rest uninhabitable. Fortunately, the city's power supply is still holding strong, and the few thousand people who now live here have managed to salvage enough of the security system to maintain control of this inner sanctum.

+ A Quick Primer on Aniseed Today
**Demographic Notes**

About 80% of the current population of Aniseed came to reside in the city before the Sundering. Of this percentage, only about 1/3 of them are permanent residents, seeking an unchanging escape from the transhuman lifestyle. Many of these people enjoy simple lives with their pokemon and don't go out of their way to accost others, but a rare few are more militant about their views. The rest of this 80% consists of people in rehabilitation - people who have suffered trauma related to the transhuman lifestyle such as identity crisis from bodyswapping or minduploading. These people made plans before the Sundering to live stints in Aniseed before slowly reintegrating themselves into the rest of transhuman society.

The rest of the 20% consists of refugees from various parts of outside society, most of whom have had their brains addled in a way, though the very fact they made it here proves they were much more fortunate than most of humanity.

**Important Locations and Organizations**

TO BE DONE LATER

+ The Athenaeum
So you want to know more? You want a complete history of this place, free from the vagueness, holes and outright inaccuracies that plague common knowledge? Well, of course you do, that's your job. The Athenaeum is a small group of Aniseed citizens dedicated to retrieval and understanding of the past, particularly anything that can help them bring the old technologies back. The organization's operatives act as a blend of archeologist, research scientist, and city guard, venturing out past the safe haven of the city's security systems to retrieve old databases and other artifacts from before the Sundering, to investigate anomalies that could hold the secret to escaping this prison, or simply to eliminate roving bands of wild pokemon that threaten to grow strong enough to break past the city's defense systems.

The Athenaeum has appropriated a modest research facility for their use. Located in one of the deeper underground pockets of Aniseed, it enjoys increased security from the pokemon attacks that occasionally mar the city and is the perfect storage place for the many recovered artifacts that hold the last hope for a recovering humanity.

An imposing sign in the entrance hall mockingly declares: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." It is unclear whether the original intent was to reassure operatives that the bizarre objects they found and events they observed could one day be understood - or whether it was a cynical jab at the absurdity of their jobs. After all, some operatives have even reported sightings of pokemon long thought to have been mere myths from thousands of years back. The existence of so-called "legendary pokemon" is not officially recognized by the city of Aniseed nor even by the Athenaeum, yet the organization still quietly organizes investigations into the lore and myths, especially when faced with artifacts and phenomena beyond their scientific understanding.

+ Character Creation
First of all, you need to decide how it is you came to Aniseed, whether you rejected the "gifts" of the future to live a more tranquil life in Aniseed long ago or whether you traumatically found yourself torn from the wonders of modern civilization to find yourself just lucky enough to make it to the city's safe haven before disaster caught up to you.

Those who've lived in Aniseed all their lives have the benefit of mental stability - they can be relatively sure of what they know and their egos are fully theirs to grasp. They may be behind the times when it comes to all that newfangled technology, but they have it all there in their heads. If you have wetware installed, cybernetic augmentations, it is probably the bare minimum needed to interface with simple systems such as the immersive augmented reality internet that operates in the city's network.

Outsiders aren't likely to have had it so lucky. While the technology of Aniseed is advanced - augmented reality coats the city with a dazzling glow of activity and cornucopia machines provide for all basic needs - it is a far cry from what you are used to. Most likely, some of your memories were kept in external storage somewhere or at least sustained by mental augments you suddenly find to be no longer working. You could even have been a fork - a copy of someone's mind temporarily created for a certain task before a planned reintegration with the original mind. If you made it to Aniseed, you were one of the lucky ones, sufficiently primitive despite your augmentations to have left The Sundering without having been reduced to a total blank slate. Your memories are likely to be incomplete and perhaps even tampered with, but you're happy to be alive. But seriously, you will not remember a lot of shit from before the Sundering if you take this option, and of the stuff you know, you may have no idea why you even know it.

Second, just who are you? You're living in a transhuman world now, and not everyone is just a normal human being in a body of flesh and bones. Now, given that you're in Aniseed, most of the population will look upon someone who spends most of their time sunk into cyberspace and only briefly visits meatspace in an artificial body to be...well, eccentric at best and repulsive at worse. You can even be a miniature Tachikoma, but don't be surprised if you get treated like a butler or servant due to misunderstandings or simple malice.

It is possible to play all manner of weird things, though keep in mind your concept should still be capable of using trainer stats and feats in a feasible manner. For the record, over 99% of the population of Aniseed (each sentient mind counts as one person) is in a flesh and bones human body, though many have cybernetic augmentations. Definitely talk to me and the other players if you want to explore one of these options - after all, you'll be working alongside them IC and everything should work out well. As much as it's something cool that should be explored in a cyberpunk setting, not everyone needs to be a robot or infoentity.

Third, decide your role in the Athenaeum. Operatives work in groups called pods, and obviously the PCs make up one such group. There is not necessarily an enforced balance of roles in a pod, but it is common to have a variety of specialists. Your role in a pod may inform what classes and features you take as well as your pokemon selection, but please do not ever feel that it constrains those choices. Creativity will get you places.

Your chosen role is important, as you will receive bonuses and other neat gifts as a result of it.

__Athenaeum Advocacy Advisor__ - esssentially the PR specialist in a pod, you will have the job of presenting your pod's findings to the Athenaeum as a whole, or to the city if your discoveries are notable enough. On the flip side, when something goes wrong, it's your job to play clean-up and control the fallout.

Examples: a Fashion Designer who creates smart clothing that emits pheromones or subtlely alters its appearance to give the wearer the advantage in social situations, an Empath refluffed to have cybernetic augmentations that clue them in to body language and other quirks that could reveal a person's state of mind, a Groomer who makes sure the Reclamation Officer's pokemon look as impressive as possible to the public as well as preparing pokemon discoveries to be presented to Athenaeum higher-ups.

__Data Miner__ - your specialty is in actually analyzing the data that comes through the research facility. When not on missions outside the city, you will likely want to make time for perusing the archives and making use of what knowledge you can pry out of the often encrypted, corrupted or outright incomprehensible data containers found on expeditions. Who knows, maybe your discoveries will bring fame to your pod, or even revolutionize life in the city!

Examples: An Engineer who specializes in advanced computer technology, a Psychic refluffed as a normal human with advanced cybernetic augmentations suited for dealing with old technologies, a Researcher who has an insatiable thirst for knowledge about the past.

__City Reclamation Officer__ - this oddly named job is actually quite simple - you are to secure parts of the outer city and areas even beyond that from wild pokemon attack so that people can live in them again! This is not quite as simple as beating the crap out of all the pokemon in an area - good Reclamation Officers also have a working knowledge of the city's security systems and how to reactivate them, or at least create ad hoc secure zones in the city using salvaged parts. While the city has a dedicated law enforcement agency, you may also occasionally be called in to help deal with internal affairs of law and order in the city.

Examples: A Blackbelt who takes on wild pokemon in 1v1 combat, an Ace Trainer who maintains a powerful team to hold their own against any opponents, a Pack Leader who counters swarms of wild pokemon with a swarm of their own, a Ranger who restrains rampaging wild pokemon.

__Mythbuster__ - officially a debunker of local superstitions and urban legends that seem to grip the public more strongly in these trying times, trainers who play this role are meant to be specialists in various supernatural fields, such as psionics, "glitch phenomena", and of course, the myths behind legendary pokemon. While the job description explicitly entails finding scientific explanations for these strange occurrences, Mythbusters also often play the awkward and questionable role of inventing cover-ups when no explanation is available. Due to the demands of the job, Mythbusters tend to be uncommon in the Athenaeum. Psychics and Mystics are exceedingly rare in Aniseed, and few mundane humans rise up to the challenge of the job.

Examples: a Clairsentient who hones their ability to track down psionic activity, a Glitch Trainer who's been thrust into the position of exploring the origins of their own strange abilities, a Dream Doctor who investigates the mysteries of the dream world and how they can affect and seep into reality, a Mystic who finds themselves most at home dealing with the near-magical phenomena of the city outskirts, a Crytozoologist who explores the ruins of the city looking for any scrap of information they can find on legendary pokemon, a Martial Artist who wants to FIGHT the horrible and strange things out there.

__Operations Director__ - a pod rarely has the luxury of sitting back and dealing with the familiar. Faced with a dangerous twist in an exploratory trek, a strange mission that the party is ill-equipped for, or any other situation that demands fast and able leadership, you must stand up to either rally the pod to a quick and informed decision or make the call yourself. You will also have the job of conducting official meetings and negotiations with higher-ups in the Athenaeum, although you will often also have your pod present for such meetings.

Examples: the Captain who acts as the face of the pod and shines as a beacon of authority to the whole city, the Coordinator whose experience with pokemon contests gives them a glowing presence that makes them well suited to take command in times of emergency, the Tag Battler whose quick-thinking and propensity for multi-tasking mental tasks makes them perfectly suited to make strategic decisions during a mission, the Detective who reads people well and is able to take the advantage in negotiations during Athenaeum meetings.

__Wired Quartermaster__ - the gear head of the group, keeping everyone well-equipped and well-supplied for their missions. Comes in all varieties, and not every Quartermaster specializes in the same brand of equipment, ranging wildly from wetware to weaponry to chemical concoctions. When old technology is restored, Quartermasters often work together with Data Miners to find pragmatic ways to put it to use.

Examples: the Medic who keeps everyone on their feet with impromptu manufacturing of artificial tissues and other medical treatments, the Upgrader who creates wetware for pokemon that give them an edge in battle, the Hunter who crafts weapons and armor to make their pod a deadly combat unit, the Chef who prepares adrenaline boosters and other quick-fix drugs for missions that go longer than anticipated.

__Xenobiologist__ - knowing the basic of standard pokemon is pretty simple, but this job demands that you be adaptable enough to deal with the oddballs that show up from time to time - and levelheaded enough to bring back something worth researching when you see them. Remember that some of the smart artificial pokemon, and even some of the naturally smart pokemon like Alakazam have been running their own research programs for a while now, and hey, maybe they've had better luck surviving this apocalypse thing than the humans. Weird shit will pop up - your job is to be ready for that. Typeshifts, hybrids, and other Things That Should Not Be are part of the standard job description.

Examples: a Collector who really takes on the gotta catch em all mentality when it comes to strange and new pokemon discovered in the outside, a Hatcher who tames wild pokemon for use as breeding stock to help the city's research projects and defenses, a Professor who draws on their solid knowledge base of normal pokemon to adapt well to encounters with the bizarre and terrifying, a Petrologist who finds themselves both investigating strange ancient pokemon as well as researching pokemon who been exposed to large elemental stones and other bizarre and elementally aligned materials.

MORE TO COME

+ Oh, you want the numbers and crunch?
**Trainers:**
Trainers start at level 10.
Every class in the official pdf is fair game, but definitely talk to me about the questionable ones. You know which ones those are, don't lie. Cash requirements are waived. Pokemon and other requirements MAY be waived on a case by case basis.

Do keep in mind that Psychics and Mystics in this setting are PARTICULARLY rare, and in a city of nearly 10,000, there will not likely be more than 1-2 of each outside of the PCs - a pod of PCs containing even one of either of the classes will draw lots of attention, for better or worse. At the very least, you'll be FAMOUS for having such wondrous powers, if they're known about. Talk to me about fluffing Psychic and Mystic abilities - obviously the cyberpunk setting allows for many different interpretations.

If you want to play a Psychic or Mystic who is open about their abilities without too much of the fame that comes with it, refluffing the class to be advanced cybernetic augmentations is probably your best bet.

Developing Psychic or Mystic powers later on, and as a secondary focus to your other classes, is recommended, though not very necessary at all if you want to start as a Psychic!

Homebrew stuff will be approved on a case by case basis. Do not be afraid to ask, even if you think it's totally weird! I may even have an idea for you as to how to make a strange class fit the setting.

In addition, trainers get to pick two skills. That is, two areas of specialization in which you will receive a +5 to rolls for. This bonus can never be applied to an attack or a feature roll, so don't bother with the Rune Master with specialization Banishing. Good examples could range from the all-pervasive climbing or the weird and esoteric religious history. You only get two chances to help make your character more unique than the standard <insert class you play>, make them count.

__Weapon feats are changed.__ User, proficiency, and mastery no longer determine damage dice for weapons. Instead, they determine the quality and complexity of a weapon you can wield. A blade user may be able to use a simple sword, but they aren't skilled enough to wield a powerful vibroblade without killing themselves, whereas someone with blade mastery would find wielding such a weapon effortless. Weapons themselves are changed to be more interesting. Elemental mods also no longer exist. And I'll be honest, Weapon Master probably is not worth taking at this rate. See the weapons section for further details.

Trainers start with 12,000 credits to spend on items. Elemental stones are 2,300 each. Use the book's prices for everything else. You may sacrifice half of this pool of starting cash to have additional cybernetic augmentations. See below.

Elemental stones, TMs, and weapons may not be as readily purchaseable once the game begins. Think carefully about what you want to buy.

**Pokemon**
Trainers may have from one to three pokemon.
You have 16,000 EXP to distribute between those pokemon. Most everything is fair game, but keep in mind that certain pokemon like Porygon and Solosis were the product of scientific experimentation in an age of humanity that has since died, and so their possession must be well-justified.

Run single stage pokemon by me before taking them, and ask me about any other pokemon that seem iffy fluff-wise. You may have at most one single stage pokemon and at least one of your pokemon must be able to evolve.

You're probably itching to know about special bonuses, like egg moves, high abilities and type shifts. Yes, type shifts too. Well, here you go.

You have a pool of 20 points to spend on special bonuses for your pokemon, with the following costs:

500 exp (buy max of 4 times): 1 point
Stat-reducing berry: 2 points
Egg move: 5 points
Vitamin (not PP-up): 5 points
High ability: 10 points
Type shift: 15 points
Aura or Telepathic Capability: 20 points

MORE BONUSES TO COME???

**Weapons and Armor**
Creative Destruction will use a weapon system similar to those of Poketrian Odyssey and Atelier. More information is forthcoming.

Weapons will be able to perform pokemon moves and/or will be given custom damage dice. _The more complex and powerful a weapon is, the higher the ranks you need in the weapon type to be able to wield it._

Modern armor is not quite as simple as the platemail of medieval times or even the kevlar of the 20th and 21st centuries - it is complex machinery that needs constant maintenance work to ensure it fits its wearer well and allows full range of movement while providing protection. _As such, wearing armor requires specialized feats that represent your character's knowledge of how it functions as well as the expertise to maintain it._ Certain classes and roles will be gifted these feats automatically, but others must purchase them. Armor feats scale in the same way weapon feats do, and the more complex and protective armors require the higher end feats.

**Cybernetic Augmentations**
All trainers come with the basic augmentations required to interface with the city's augmented reality system and get online anywhere within the inner city boundaries. However, some people may have additional augmentations and their pokemon may even have them.

At character creation, you may choose to subtract 6000 from your pool of starting cash to have either a single cybernetic augmentation for you or two for your pokemon. You may only do this once - you can't start with zero cash and more augs. Do note that acquiring additional wetware may be more more expensive once the campaign starts - the reduced cost here is to account for the fact your character has had the appropriate procedures done on them or their pokemon in the past. Additionally, some wetware may exclusively be available through the reputation economy - see that section for details. The list of available augmentations is as follows:

__Trainer Augmentations:__
//Adrenaline Boost//: You have an adrenaline delivery system built into your body, capable of giving you just the boost you need to get through the more deadly situations in life.
Daily: Recover 1/4 your HP, you may use this as a free action but only on your turn.
//Advanced Network Adapter//: You're not quite sure what this does. I mean, it gets you into the city's AR network fine, but sometimes you feel like you aren't quite making full use of this particular mental implant. But hey, for now it seems like you have an easier time working with the AR network than most.
Static: +2 to all rolls dealing with manipulating AR in the city. And maybe something more...?
//Cognitive Enhancer//:
//Metabolic Filter//:
//Second Identity//: You have cybernetic implants that can prove you as a whole separate person, enough to cover tests such as retinal scans, fingerprint testing and a variety of other methods. The skin on your fingertips shifts to a different shape, the patterns of your retina change, etc. Of course, it's highly frowned upon if anyone discovers you are using these methods...

MORE TO COME

__Pokemon Augmentations:__
//Filter Chip//: This pokemon is immune to capture by Snaggers or Rangers, regardless of loyalty, unless a Masterball is used. Pokemon can also no longer have their stats lowered by any trainer feature.
//Rocket Punch//: Choose one melee move belonging to this pokemon. It is now ranged with a 15m range.
//Smart Chip//: This pokemon has their Intelligence capability raised to 6. If it has or gains telepathy or Aura, it will be able to communicate with humans.
//Sonic Pulse Generator//: The pokemon is capable of using echolocation to navigate its surroundings. In addition, it gains the Move Supersonic.

MORE TO COME

**Losing is Fun**
If you can't tell by this point, Creative Destruction isn't meant to have a particularly happy-go-lucky tone. Given that it's me GMing, I can tell you with fairly good certainty that two things will happen - 1. I give in to temptation and will run with whacky ideas and make silly things happen. 2. Despite that, the tone of the campaign will remain dark overall, and I may not even notice it if I start dipping into pretty grim ideas.

So what's all this mean? Well, a cyberpunk/transhuman setting opens up a lot of ways for people to go beyond natural human potential and to make full use of their technological opportunities. It also offers a lot of ways for really fucked up shit to happen to them, and if you do choose to purposely make life significantly tougher for your character in some major way, I will give extra consideration when it comes time to make special feats and bonuses.

Mind you, everyone will be getting special bonuses, but when they get them and what they are will be heavily influenced by backstory. Misfortune has a way of giving rise to great opportunities. This doesn't mean make your character a totally miserable sack of bones, it's just an incentive I want to offer in case you have a concept you really like but are hesitant to play due to how crippling it may be in such a setting.

Such types of misfortune may include but are not limited to:
__Implant Rejection:__ This is not a condition to take lightly - your body and immune system, for whatever reason, cannot stand cybernetic implants, rendering you incapable of using even the simple AR interface that everyone takes for granted in the city. Sure, a pair of goggles and some specially made gloves can provide a quick fix, but it's still much less convenient for you to access online resources or interact with AR in a seemless and immersive way. Not to mention you can't get access to all the great medical implants and other nifty things technology has provided us with.
__Mostly Disembodied:__ The less conventional members of the Athenaeum may choose to spend most of their time in cyberspace, taking on an artificial body or otherwise being transported in a container when the occasion arises for them to venture outside of the safe zone. This poses obvious inconveniences in some situations but tremendous advantages in others.
__Significant Memory Tampering:__ Most outsiders to Aniseed will have heavily fragmented memories from before their arrival, due to the way the Sundering seemed to systematically destroy many forms of computational technology. However, total amnesia is a rarity, and so is purposeful tampering of someone's memory by someone else - for malicious or benign reasons. If you can't remember a single damned thing before your arrival in Aniseed, if you suspect you may have had your memories altered by a third party, or if you can't even remember events that occurred after your arrival in the city, this probably describes you.
__This Isn't My Body!:__ Some people get awfully attached to their bodies and don't like the idea of swapping them easily, not that it's a problem now, that technology is fairly inaccessible to anyone who hasn't already gone through the trouble of uploading themselves. It's no surprise, the city of Aniseed was created partially to cater to those who wanted no part in the bodyswapping business. For some unfortunates, however, they came to realize their attachments to their original bodies after they've made a switch - and then for any of a variety of reasons found themselves unable to switch back. This discomfort with their new physical form can be highly disorienting to someone. Maybe they even have clumsiness issues from being unable to cope with the new body.

+ Home Base
Working for the Athenaeum is an arduous job, but it definitely has its perks. In addition to whatever living quarters your character has in the city, they will have their own dedicated living space in the Athenaeum research facility, located near their peers in their pod for when they are inevitably stuck in the office for long hours finishing conducting research or analysis.

There is also a large shared office space for your pod which can be filled with all sorts of neat stuff as time goes on. It acts like a home base of sorts, a safe and private place to socialize or to get work done. As you are a starting new pod, it is minimally furnished right now, almost depressingly so. Well, at least everyone has their own workstation where they can plug in their AR implants or adapters, much the equivalent of a desktop computer nowadays. Additional equipment will be assigned based on starting classes and roles chosen by the PCs.

Even more stuff will appear as the campaign goes on, and here is where to check for it!

**Current Office Space**:
1 AR workstation per character
1 single-purpose cornucopia machine (insert carbon compounds and other organic materials and it produces a beverage heavy in Trimethylxant-...okay, it's a coffee machine. But a damned good one.)

//And speaking of acquiring more equipment for the office...//

+ The Reputation Economy

SECTION UNDER HEAVY CONSTRUCTION - FEEDBACK AND IDEAS REQUESTED

Simple credits get you most of what you need in the city. The city's population is small enough that everyone is assured living quarters free of charge, though they tend to be cramped. Other basic needs such as food and clean water are easily provided using the simple cornucopia machines that litter the city.

Pokeballs, TM and most standard trainer equipment can be purchased with credits when necessary, though the specific availability of these items may limit purchases. Cybernetic gear, advanced computers and other equipment that's either more likely to be office fixures or involves advanced technology is not as available with simple credits, mostly because it tends to be under the control of the Athenaeum.

Internal affairs in the Athenaeum are managed with a reputation-based economy - your pod has an Eph rating within the Athenaeum, a measure of its overall reputation and is gained or lost based on how its actions are perceived both within and outside of the Athenaeum. Really, each citizen has a measure of Eph, and people are more or less willing to accomodate them, give them favors, invite them to social functions, etc based on their Eph, but for what you likely care about, the pod's measure of Eph as a whole defines whether or not the Athenaeum deems you trustworthy enough to loan or even gift you special equipment.

Each person in Aniseed is able to give or remove Eph from others in a rating of them, a small amount that aggregates to the community's assessment of a person as a whole. A low Eph person has just as much influence as a high Eph person in this regard. Obviously, a carefully maintained system of checks prevents any gaming the system, and those caught often find themselves with nearly no Eph for a long time, having access to only the bare necessities for life. They may even find their credits aren't wanted at certain shops that don't want to be associated with such social outcasts.

SPECIFIC MECHANICS, LEVELS OF EPH, ETC ARE FORTHCOMING OH GOD HOW DO I EVEN THIS